Kirsten Dunst Will Lead 'Melancholia'

The end of the Spider-Man franchise has created new opportunities for Kirsten Dunst. She’s just been set by Lars von Trier to play the lead role in Melancholia that Penelope Cruz was negotiating before she jumped to Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Melancholia is a sci-fi disaster film that will shoot July through September in Southern Sweden, with Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Charlotte Rampling, Alexander Skarsgaard, Stellan Skarsgaard and Udo Kier also attached to roles. Dunst is currently starring with Jim Sturgess in Upside Down. Bastard, the short film she directed and co-wrote, will premiere at the Tribeca Film Fest and was just accepted into Cannes.